Correction to This Article
An earlier version of this article misspelled the first name of Yukiya Amano, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency. It also said radium had been found at an alleged nuclear facility in Syria. In fact, it was uranium that was found there.

IAEA's Amano: Iran still steadily producing uranium

The Post's Lally Weymouth talked to Yukiya Amano, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, last week in Vienna. Excerpts:

Q. Many believe that Iran carried out nuclear weapons research in the past, including work on weaponization. . . . Do you agree with this?

A. We receive information from various countries and collect information from our own sources that give us concern over the possible use of nuclear materials for military purposes - in the past and perhaps now.

How is Iran complying with the IAEA? Your last report indicated some frustration.

We ask them to declare - we ask about their activities. . . . We don't know if there are other activities outside their declaration. We are not sure if they are hiding something.

What is the next step if they are not forthcoming?

We continue to press them. If they don't [clarify], I have to report it to the [IAEA] Board of Governors. For the time being, I don't see any indication that we can make progress.

Will you say in your February report that Iran was engaged in nuclear weaponization before 2003?

We don't say that. We don't have a smoking gun. We have concerns.

Will the IAEA press for access to further locations in Iran?

Yes, this is an issue that we have been discussing. We want to know more about what they are doing. . . . But Iran does not tell us well in advance about the construction of new facilities.

How badly was Iran's centrifuge program affected by the [Stuxnet cyber] worm from 2009?